"So, I hope you will be stricter with yourself. Don't be content with just meeting my requirements; strive for the ultimate!" Marquis Tianyi exhorted with a solemn tone.
"This disciple will bear my teacher's teachings in mind and will certainly give my all," Qing Yu said calmly, his eyes steady, without the slightest hint of arrogance.
Qing Yu once again immersed himself in day-to-day cultivation.
Holding the dull, silver-gray long spear, his figure was like a pine, his aura condensed, as he practiced the Myriad Tribulations secret art again and again.
His spear strikes were sometimes like sudden thunder, sometimes like flowing water, and sometimes they solidified in one place. His movements had long shed their awkwardness; the essence of the Space-Time Law flowed naturally with his fluid motions.
After each practice session, he would close his eyes and concentrate, meticulously refining every detail, striving for perfection.
The Myriad Tribulations spear art was the key to comprehending the origin of the Space-Time Law, but Qing Yu never forgot his true core combat technique — the Tribulation Divine Weapon!
Thanks to the Lord Jin Lan's annotation of the Tribulation Divine Weapon secret art, Qing Yu revisited and re-cultivated the first stage, Chaotic Dance Threads.
Now, Chaotic Dance Threads — perfectly mastered!
"Condense!" Qing Yu's mind stirred slightly.
The 81 circular blades instantly transformed into a series of streaks of light, interweaving to form nine invisible threads full of destructive cutting power!
Compared to the Genius Battle period, the 'cutting' intent was several times sharper, operating incredibly smoothly, without the slightest stagnation!
This was the true form of Chaotic Dance Threads!
Immediately after, more circular blades flew out from the luminous white longsword, forming even more threads!
"Weave!" Qing Yu's eyes narrowed.
Weaving Sky Net — perfectly mastered!
A huge, intricate, three-dimensional silver light net, covering the entire training area, instantly materialized!
It not only possessed stronger cutting power than Chaotic Dance Threads but also had powerful spatial binding force; moving within the net was like being stuck in a quagmire!
Qing Yu also did not neglect the soul defense secret art, the Seven Soul Bell.
This Seven Soul Bell had a total of seven realms: Boulder Realm, Cold Iron Realm, Flowing Copper Realm, Profound Silver Realm, Crimson Gold Realm, Star Pattern Realm, and Amethyst Realm.
At this moment, within Qing Yu's Sea of Consciousness, an ancient bluestone giant bell, filling the entire Sea of Consciousness, enveloped his eight suspended arms.
As Qing Yu cultivated, the original rough bluestone texture was slowly fading, replaced by the cold luster of 'cold iron' — this was the second realm of the Seven Soul Bell, the Cold Iron Realm!
Qing Yu's talent in soul cultivation was astonishing; he invested the least amount of time but progressed the fastest!
He mastered the Boulder Realm and Cold Iron Realm in a very short time, and Qing Yu was confident he could even master the third realm, the Flowing Copper Realm, within half a year!
…
Three years passed in a flash, and Qing Yu spent them in fulfilling cultivation. His current strength had undergone earth-shattering changes!
Inside Qing Yu's private training ground in the Original Zone, Qing Yu calmly gave an order to the void:
"Simulated battle, set opponent: ten 'Qing Yu's'. Combat power setting: my strongest combat power at the end of the Genius Battle three years ago, with mental energy and genetic energy raised to Universe Rank Stage One!"
"Setting confirmed. Simulation generating... Generation complete. Battle, commence!" The cold system voice fell.
Buzz! Buzz! Buzz...
Ten figures identical to Qing Yu instantly appeared around the field, surrounding him! These ten 'Qing Yu's' had empty, cold eyes, devoid of any emotion.
"Kill!"
The ten simulated bodies erupted simultaneously! Piercing sword hums echoed through space! Swish! Swish! Swish! ...Space seemed to be torn apart!
Countless silver lights shot out from ten directions, instantly interweaving in the air to form a 'Chaotic Dance Threads' light net full of cutting power!
The ten light nets overlapped, like a net from heaven and earth, intending to completely shred the Qing Yu in the center!
At the same time, a eerie light flashed in the eyes of the ten simulated bodies! Ten illusionary waves stacked together, like an invisible mental tsunami, fiercely crashing towards Qing Yu's soul origin!
The illusionary technique arrived first, piercing into the depths of Qing Yu's Sea of Consciousness like a sharp cone, striking the dark 'Flowing Copper Bell'. The phantom of the copper bell trembled slightly.
"Dong—!" A deep, resonant bell chime, as if capable of stabilizing the soul, rang out! The third realm, Flowing Copper Realm, was indeed extraordinary; even ten combined soul attacks failed to shatter it.
However, the combined soul impact of ten attacks was simply too terrifying. Qing Yu's consciousness felt as if it had been struck by a giant hammer, instantly falling into a blank state, and his body stiffened for a split second.
By the time Qing Yu recovered, the ten attacks were already upon him! The cold sensation of cutting almost touched his skin!
"Hmph!" Qing Yu's pupils suddenly contracted!
Hundreds of clear, solid phantom bodies, like silver lotus flowers blooming instantly, incredibly flickered and maneuvered within the tiny spatial gaps!
This allowed Qing Yu to narrowly pass through the deadly nodes where the light nets intertwined, appearing on the relatively weaker side of the encirclement.
"Weaving Sky Net — Open!" Qing Yu roared, and the luminous white longsword behind him hummed softly, as hundreds of circular blades shot out like streaks of light!
A three-dimensional silver light net, far more exquisite, powerful, and expansive than the light nets controlled by the simulated bodies, instantly unfurled!
The movements of the ten simulated bodies immediately stalled, as if they had fallen into a quagmire, and one of them was instantly killed.
However, the remaining simulated bodies cooperated with each other, with every three simulated bodies grouping together, their eyes empty but their movements precise, simultaneously exerting force and concentrating their attack on the same node of Qing Yu's Weaving Sky Net!
"I've been waiting for you!" A cold light flashed in Qing Yu's eyes; he had been waiting for the opportunity when the opponents would gather to break the situation!
"Time Imprint Cocoon — Bind!"
Qing Yu's Weaving Sky Net suddenly contracted, wrapping the three simulated bodies, along with the space around them, into a constantly compressing three-dimensional 'cocoon', layer upon layer, like wrapping a silkworm chrysalis!
"Shred!"
The three figures were instantly cut into countless tiny fragments!
But Qing Yu also paid a price. The other six simulated bodies, having broken free from the Weaving Sky Net's restraint, took advantage of the opening when Qing Yu was casting Time Imprint Cocoon. Six silver threads silently cut in from six tricky angles!
Qing Yu's hundreds of phantom bodies erupted again, attempting to dodge.
However, the distance was too close, and one of the silver threads grazed his left side by a hair's breadth!
"Rip!" A complete left arm was severed at the shoulder.
"Kill!" Qing Yu endured the severe pain, his figure advancing instead of retreating, and once again cast Time Imprint Cocoon to envelop three of the simulated bodies. The battle entered a white-hot stage!
Ten minutes later, Qing Yu had killed all ten simulated bodies, but he himself paid the price of an arm and a leg.
"Hoo... hoo... Restore my... body!" Qing Yu lay on the ground.
"Not bad!" Marquis Tianyi's voice rang out from the viewing platform. He slowly walked down, a very complex expression on his face.
"Three years ago, I would never have imagined that you could, in such a short time... not only comprehend the essence of the first 12 secret arts of Myriad Tribulations but also utilize the first three stages of the Tribulation Divine Weapon to such an extent."